College
of Health Sciences
Distinguished Young Alumnus
in Health Sciences

Christopher S. Schmidt, MD, PA-C,

H Sci ’98, PA ’00

Dr. Christopher Schmidt is passionate about patient care. He started his physician assistant career practicing emergency medicine in southeastern Wisconsin before pursuing his dream of medical school. Now a resident in anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, he cares for patients while rotating through the anesthesia, critical care, surgical and medical subspecialties.

“Whether it is with the sense of wonder and heightened responsibility necessary to care for an infant undergoing surgery, or the resolve and watchful presence demanded by the critical patient, I enjoy the process of caring for people during such a vulnerable and sometimes fearful time as during surgery,” he says. “The individualized process of anticipating, understanding and definitively acting on the pathophysiology of a disease process, patient by patient, moment to moment, captivates me. The reward in establishing a connection and an opportunity to bring a smile to each patient’s face during his or her care brings me back the next day.”

As a PA, Christopher had many opportunities to give back: as a guest lecturer for human anatomy courses at Marquette, as a teacher and supervisor of rotating physician assistant and medical students, and as a gross anatomy teacher for staff and local EMS personnel. Wanting to do even more, he applied for medical school and started at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health in 2003.

Christopher’s academic excellence and bedside manner earned him several honors, including induction into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society, which honors those who demonstrate “excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service.” In 2005 he was published in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.

Christopher says Marquette provided the foundation for his success.

“I had experiences at Marquette that I believe I would not have encountered anywhere else, experiences far beyond the excellent academics found in the classroom,” he says. “I found opportunities to teach my peers and work side-by-side in the laboratory with nationally recognized scientists. The collective passion and dedication conveyed by staff and faculty brought me inspiration and direction for my future in a way I have not seen or heard of elsewhere.”